How can I make food tasty with less fat?

Did you know that higher-fat meals make your mind and body sluggish by slowing circulation and reducing the red blood cells capacity to carry oxygen?

However, meals too low in fat will leave you feeling hungry and thinking about food. If you crave food high in fat, it may be a sign that you are not eating frequently enough or you're restricting your fat intake too much.

So.... how do I gradually decrease fat in meals?

Tailor to your tasted and appreciate the slight differences in taste, texture, and mouth feel of healthier foods. If you eat lower-fat foods because you truly enjoy them, fine. If not, then you have a diet mentality which always ends disastrous. When you prefer one option, you will repeat it- good or bad. Repeating a healthier lifestyle leads to healthier living.

You must learn to make gradual changes to food preparation in order to actually like the end product. For example. the traditional way of frying with fat and no lid leads to moisture evaporation and food sticking to the bottom of the pan. Adding more fat results in a meal loaded with fat in grease, which is heavy on the stomach and difficult to digest. 

Here are some guidelines:

• Choose meat with less marbling (streaks of fat seen in a cut of meat).
• Trimming all visible fat off before cooking can sometimes result in a drier, less tender product, so try cooking it in a non-stick frying pan with a lid to retain the moisture. Trim the fat from the meats. sear the meat in a non-stick frying pan with a light coating of oil or non-stick cooking spray, turn the meat over, brown and add the lid to cook meat. Add onions, garlic, and fresh or dried herbs for more flavor when heating the oil prior to adding the meat. If meat sticks to the pan, deglaze with wine, milk, or vegetable or fruit juice. water and herbs, or broth or water with bouillon cube to brown the meat nicely. The liquid will gradually evaporate and it can be thickened to make a gravy if desired. 
• When using oil to saute foods, use a heavy, non-stick pan so a light coating of oil will prevent burning of the food. Make sure the oil is hot before adding the ingredients to reduce the amount of oil that soaks into the food. For example, if you enjoy butter on a potato and you try to replace it with a lower fat product such as light sour cream, and you turn out not to like it then eventually you will crave the butter. Instead, try to gradually take less butter each time.
• Low fat substitutes, such as diet margarine's or diet butters, are high in water content. They cannot be used for frying, as the pan becomes quickly dry because of the water from the product evaporates as soon as it's exposed to heat. You need to experiment what works best for you.
• Meat can be browned in the oven instead of a frying pan. Roasting can be done on a rack in a covered roasted. The rack prevents the fat drippings from coming in direct contact with the roast so the roast will be less greasy. Use lower temperatures (275 degree F) for this. This retains moisture, reduces shrinkage, and prevents the fat from going back into the roast. 
• Less-tender cuts of meat are best cooked in liquid (braising, stewing, or pot roasting) to create tender and flavorful dishes. Marinating meat helps to tenderize and add flavor. This includes wine, vinegar, seasoned vinegar, soy sauce, citrus juices, beer, yogurt, and oil. The acidic ingredients soften the tough connective.  Don't use salt in a marinade because it draws out the moisture.
• If you are drinking whole milk, try diluting it with part-skim milk for a week or two until you get accustomed to the taste. Then try part-skim milk and finally switch to skim milk. 

As you become more aware of the different flavors and textures, you will gradually acquire a taste for foods with a more refreshing, less thick texture.

Modifying Cookies

• Sugar, flour, and fat are main ingredients. Cutting back on sugar and fat too much does not allow creaming effect to occur and lessens sweetness of cookies.
• Strategy: Cut sugar back about 1/2 and replace with some sweeter spices (nutmeg, cinnamon). Fat content can only be cut back slightly (by 1/4). Cutting fat content too much will change nature of cookies. 
• To keep cookies moisture, add milk to replace moisture taken out by cutting back fat content. 

Creative Cooking Tips

• Start with 1/4 tsp dry herbs or 3/4 tsp fresh herbs for a dish that serves 4 people. Fresh herbs contain more moisture with milder flavor. 
• Crumble herbs between fingers to release flavor prior to adding to dish.
• Heat herbs in a little bit of oil to heighten and extend flavor.
• With soups, stews, and large quantity dishes, add herbs during last hour of cooking so the flavor doesn't evaporate. 
• Store herbs in a cool place in opaque container to retain flavor.
• Herbs dry out after 4 months.

I hope you could take away at least one tip from this blog! Feel free to message me with any questions! Nutrition is just as important as working out! We are what we eat ;-)